Starting June 4, 2010, all K-1 visa applicants will be required to pay a fee of $350 when they apply for a visa interview at their country’s U.S. Consulate.  The previous fee cost was only $131.

When a couple pursues a fiance visa (or fiancee visa), the couple must first pay a $455 fee to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to process their I-129F form.  Once the I-129f form is approved, the K-1 visa applicant must apply for a visa interview at his or her country’s U.S. Consulate.  At this point is where the couple will need to pay the newly increased fee of $350.

The K-1 visa’s fee increase is apart of a overhaul of all nonimmigrant visa fees by the Department of State (DOS).  DOS has created a tiered payment level system, whereas all visa applications previously had a fee of $131.  The DOS is justifying the fee increase on the increased costs for completing the necessary security background checks (and other checks) needed before an applicant can be issued a K-1 visa.  The K-1 visa fee is the second most expensive fee in the new tiered system.

Unfortunately, this increase only means a couple must come up with additional money in an already expensive process.  In addition to the fees mentioned above, a couple will need to pay government fees of over a thousand dollars once the couple is in the United States and married.  These increased costs only add to the prudence of retaining a knowledgeable fiance visa lawyer to assist in a K-1 visa case.  If a couple makes a mistake, they may be forced to pay some, or all, of these fees again.  Guessing along the process just doesn’t pay off.

To read the Department of State’s statement on the fee increase, please visit:  http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/05/142155.htm.